The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight

From the Riverview Plantation website:

Quail hunting is a gentleman's game and is often a spectator and participator sport at the same time. Normally quail hunting involves a pair of hunters and a pair of bird dogs in the field at the same time.

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Now lets look at the type of shotgun that is best suited for quail hunting. Quail can and are pursued by hunters using every gauge from 410 to 12. It is important to select the proper barrel length and choke. The shorter barrels and more open chokes are preferable for quail hunting. I would recommend a 26" barrel and a skeet or improved cylinder choke. While the 20 gauge is the most common gauge of choice, the 28 gauge is gaining rapid popularity among quail hunters.

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Prior to moving on up and allowing the birds to flush, each hunter should visibly and mentally locate: each other, both dogs, the hunting rig, and the hunting guide if on a guided hunt. Each hunter should know in advance where he can and cannot swing the muzzle of his gun to follow an escaping quail.

Each hunter's range of gun swing should be from the mid-point between him and his partner and out to his side. He should never cross the mid-point to shoot at a quail flying on his partner's side. Not only is this poor shotgunning etiquette, it is dangerous.

Using the suggested improved cylinder choke, using #6 shot with a 1 oz. load, we find that at 30 yards, the distance that Vice President Cheney allegedly was from his victim, the shot pattern would have been 173 pellets in a 30 inch circle. See here.

Ouch.